Justin Amash

Illustration by Peter Arkle for TIME

Elected to the Michigan legislature two years ago, the 30-year-old Republican  an opponent of bailouts, tax increases and mandatory health coverage  looks poised to surf the Tea Party wave to a victory in the state's 3rd Congressional District.

Who is your political hero/inspiration?
My biggest heroes are economists like F.A. Hayek and Frédéric Bastiat. Those would be my political inspirations, as well.

What's your go-to political blog?
I don't have a particular go-to political blog. Café Hayek is probably the blog I go to the most.

If you weren't working in politics, what would you be doing?
I would be either a lawyer or in business with my family, working with my brothers to grow the [industrial tool] business and carry on my dad's dream.

What's the most overlooked issue facing America these days?
The process of government and transparency. Everyone knows about the substantive issues of concern, like federal health care, but very little is said about the process, the lack of accountability.

Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?
Working hard to represent my district and trying to do what I can to move this process in the direction of more transparency